Searching for a Hero
by In Deeds Reflected
Summary: A young girl made a promise to a now legendary digger who has gone missing. Now a digger herself she sets off on her own adventure to fulfill her promise to him, and with any luck maybe she can locate the lost hero in the process. A Megaman Legends Fanfic
1. Chapter 1

Searching for a Hero

**Searching for a Hero**

A Megaman Legends Fic

It is I!! In Deeds Reflected, who wrote this fic, if anyone says otherwise, there're lying!!

It was two years after the legendary events surrounding the forbidden island incident, a lone digger had set forth against all odds, and where all others had failed, this lone digger managed to combat the intense weather and formidable defenses that the island had to offer and had won. To further add to his stature, this same digger, clad in blue armor, then braved several parlous ruins to acquire four master keys, foretold by the ancients to unlock the mythical "Mother Load". Lied to and betrayed by the ancients, once all four keys were acquired, they set into motion events that would have destroyed all mankind…But again, the digger in blue faced the challenge head-on without fear or reservation. After that no one was sure what had happened, the digger in blue was never seen again, only stories abounded as to his fate. Some said he fell in battle, others claimed that after the battle he had escaped into obscurity to live a normal life, and others still, said that after battle he was trapped, far from the home he had fought so hard to protect. No matter what was said however, the outcome was the same for each story, the digger in blue had been victorious, he had faced the most powerful threat imaginable, and had won. The evidence could be seen anywhere, for if he had lost, there would be no one left to tell his tale.

These were stories told not only by diggers, but by all who lived through the events, the stories of the legendary "digger in blue" who saved the world from utter annihilation. While these stories gave strength to those who told and heard them, for one island the rest of the world was a chapter behind. A year before the forbidden island incident, another island had been in peril, besieged by pirates and almost destroyed, Kattelox island knew full well of the digger in blue, for there to, he had staved off certain destruction in the face of overwhelming odds. Although perhaps not as monumental as saving the entire world, for the people of Kattelox, the digger in blue was just as much a hero for what he had done for their island, as for what he had done for the world. It was there, almost four years ago, that the digger in blue in his selfless nature had saved a small girl from an uncertain fate, not with his weapons, but with a donation to hospital that saved the girl's life. In his final moments on the island, the digger in blue approached the small girl to say goodbye. The girl who at the time was no older than thirteen, made the digger in blue a promise, that one day she would leave the island and become a great digger herself. Now almost seventeen she prepares to embark to fulfill her promise, and to find the legendary digger in blue, to search for a hero…

-_Kattelox Island, just before dawn_-

A lone girl stands in the sub-gate ruins of Cardon Forest, the light inside reflects off the walls, casting an unearthly blue glow on her. From where she stands her youth becomes obvious, she could pass for anywhere between fifteen to seventeen, and although her less then robust figure would favor the younger age, her fierce and striking green eyes would favor the older. Messy brown hair assails her shoulders in the back, while in the front bangs held in place by a lime green headband tickle her eyes. Her features are fair if not worn, with a soft face despite the soot and angered expression which both occupy it currently. Her outfit is a dull but dark blue, and favors function over fashion, heavy looking metallic boots come up to her knees shielding her lower legs. A long sleeveless coat covers her upper body and extends down past her waist, though it has obviously seen better days it still appears sturdy if only for a few tares. The coat overlaps to the right side at her chest and is held closed by four bronze buttons, the collar reaches just above her top lip, masking the lower part of her face. Despite her unusual appearance however, it is her arms more then anything else that would catch anyone's attention. On her right, dark leather bindings cross mesh their way from her shoulder to her elbow, and stop under an ornate looking metal gauntlet and glove, upon the upside of which glows a eye like red gem. The left arm is left bare from the shoulder down until reaching the elbow, just as with the right arm, from the elbow down her hand is encased in metal, but this time instead of a glove, the metal apparatus ends in the barrel of a gun…

Backed against the wall, she stands surrounded by four octagon shaped reaverbots, each fixed on her with their lifeless, robotic eyes. They stand less then a head shorter then the girl upon four awkward legs, two at the front and two at the back, and although clumsy things, their red lower bodies indicated their upgraded status from the normal types which were green. She had been through plenty of ruins before, but in her eagerness for the oncoming day she had rushed her way through and must have missed them, on her way back to the elevator they had jumped at her, and before she knew it, she was against the wall. Inwardly cursing herself for such a rookie mistake, she watched the four offish reaverbots move slowly towards her. With just a few feet between her and them, they all arched back on their hind legs revealing the circular fire cannons underneath, she could see the energy building quickly, and just before they fired she couldn't help but think…

" "_He" wouldn't have made this kind of mistake…"_

The four reaverbots shot at her, sending large, spinning spheres of fire at her. A quick change in her expression as she smirked slightly was the only indication of her action. In a split second leading with her right leg, she leapt up and over the four reaverbots, unleashing a hail of machine gun fire down on two of them as she flipped in mid air. The two reaverbots in the middle exploded violently, the heat from which she could feel on her face. She landed with a hard metallic "Thud" as her boots hit the metal floor, they had not only cushioned her landing perfectly, but also had been responsible for the extra spring in her jump due to some tinkering and ingenuity on her spotter's part. The remaining two reaverbots tuned to face her, but their short, stubby legs prevented them from doing so in time. The girl quickly rushed to the left side, making full use of her machine gun arm along the way and filling the reaverbot on the left full of holes. It to, like the others, exploded fantastically, but the shockwave sent through the floor offset her balance and sent her crashing to the ground. Her armor and coat had weathered most of the blow, leaving her unharmed, but as she looked up to locate the final reaverbot, she found it again charging it's weapon and firing on her. In no position to dart out of the way, the blast moved at her with an intense heat and force, and would surely not be stopped by her coat or her scarce visible armor. With the blast upon her she lifts her right arm in a desperate, final act of defense.

The brief but bright flash covers the area just in front of the girl; the flash however is _not_ from any type of explosion. Instead the flash is the result of the blast dissipating against a small hexagon shaped energy field that is now emanating from the eye shaped gem on the girl's right hand. The energy field is charged white in the middle, but becomes yellow as it extends outward, and is just large enough to shield the girl's torso from the blast. From behind it she smiles again as she gets to her feet and mockingly exclaims…

"Is that it?" A cheerful glee can be heard in her youthful voice as she utters the taunt.

The reaverbot does not respond but instead gets ready to fire again; the red heat inside its internal cannon begins to radiate, signaling the attack. Blowing a tuft of hair out of her eyes she smirks at her would-be enemy at points her gun arm, and aims it with the right…

"All you reaverbots are the same, no fun at all." Again a hint of glee goes with the statement.

With her final words to the reaverbot, she easily sidesteps its attack and fires three shots dead center in its cannon. The reaverbot stands motionless for a second before several small explosions emanate from it internally, preceding a much larger one that completely destroys it. Small refractors of varying colors are thrown from the explosion, the girl rushes to pick them up before fade and shatter becoming useless. She silently scolds herself for missing one that had been thrown in the corner, and for not grabbing the ones that had been thrown free upon the destruction of the other reaverbots. Small refractors gained from reaverbots were used as currency but were unstable and shattered shortly after the reaverbot's destruction unless grabbed quickly. She put the refractors she gained in one her coat's inside pockets and buttoned it closed. Looking up, she stared at the places where just previously, the four reaverbots had been and sighed. Four medium explosion marks stained the ground in front of her, easily visible on the bright blue floors of the ruin. She had hoped she wouldn't have had to fight so close to the elevator, if anyone checked the ruin, her presence would be noticed.

"And I haven't received my digger's license yet, if the mayor finds out she'll kill me…" Said to no one but herself, she slouches forward in disappointment.

Only a moment later she springs back up with a renewed happiness on her face.

"But then again…maybe no one will notice?" Said halfheartedly, she smiles sarcastically as she again looks over the devastation she caused.

Suddenly she is brought back from her spiraling depression by the sound of radio static in her ear…

"C in…I ret…C in…" The sound is broken and choppy, but even still, the girl knows who it is, it could only be one person on this frequency.

Sighing again, she touches the inside of her left ear, pressing against the small transmitter inside until the sound clears up.

"Come in Ira, I repeat, come in Ira!" As always Osh's voice sounds much more frantic then it needs to be, Ira teased him about it often, but appreciated it also.

"Yes Osh it's me, calm down or you'll give yourself a heart attack." A playful tone carries over the transmitter. A second later Ira can hear a soft sigh of relief over the COM system.

"Ira, where are you! When I went to you're house this morning you weren't there, the junk shop lady said she saw you heading to Cardon Forest…Please tell me you're not where I think you are?" The sense of dread is obvious in his voice.

"Okay then, I'm not where you think I am, in fact, I'm exactly where you want me to be, safe at home. The truth is I never got up early this morning and got myself ready to go to the place where you think I am, and I certainly didn't then make my way to that place and fight a bunch of the things you think I fought." Ira's smile was a mile wide as she said this; she always loved messing with Osh.

"Why do you hate me…?" Osh's voice sounds defeated as he is outmatched by Ira's sarcasm."

"I don't hate you Osh, you're my spotter after all." Again thick with sarcasm…

"If that's true, then why didn't you tell me you were going to the sub gate today?!" Now more annoyed sounding than anything, its obvious that Osh is losing patience.

"That's easy silly, I knew you'd try and stop me if I told you." Ira now had to hold her sides to keep from laughing, it was just too much.

"Alright, listen, just get yourself out of there, hopefully no one will see you and I'll meet you in the van when I get there, can you do that for me please?" More begging then asking, Osh's words carry sincerely.

"Alright Osh, I'm near the elevator anyway, I'll be up in a minute and I'll see you up top." Ira closed the COM channel and began walking towards the elevator again.

It only takes a few moments to reach the elevator, at the council now she hits the button to ascend, a moment later the elevator slowly makes it way back up top towards civilization. After a minute or so Ira reaches the top and the automatic door opens to the bright, unforgiving light. Ira shields her eyes with her right arm, after being in the ruins for so long her eyes had adjusted to the artificial light, now again the presence of the real thing, she thought of the sun as an angry, spiteful thing. Despite her betrayal to the sun, it relinquished it's anger and allowed to her see again, and the first thing she saw was Osh staring disapprovingly at her next to the spotter van. His long red hair blows in the gentle breeze, momentarily hiding his worried expression, but when the wind lets up again and his hair falls back in place his expression brings with it a sincere reality. His brown eyes dart over her, quickly inspecting her to make sure that she's not injured, his features now contort between a mix of worry and anger. His whole body is shaking and in his right hand he grasps a med kit in case the worst had happened, the left is holding nothing, but rather clenched in strong fist. As Ira faces the severity of the situation for the first time she can't help but feel terrible for what she put Osh through.

"_He was really worried about me…" _These inward thoughts left a bad feeling in Ira's stomach, as though she'd eaten something rotten and was now feeling the full effects.

Ira could barely stand it, and panned her vision to the floor to avoid Osh's stare. Osh and herself had been working together for almost a year now, and in all that time she'd only seen him like this twice, once after his first mission as her spotter, and the second was…. Ira was already distress enough, and decided not to think back on that particular event at the moment, instead she was building the strength to say something to Osh to reassure him and try and make up for what she had done. When she looked up to face him though, she was relieved to see that his expression had changed, instead of the look of worry and anger that had postered it before, now a small and weakened smile replaced it.

"Osh, I…" Her words were soft and stuttered, but more than that, interrupted now by Osh.

"I don't want to hear it Ira, not this time. You went over the line; you put yourself in danger, not to mention your ambitions. Or do I need to remind you that today the mayor is awarding you with your own digger's license?" Osh's words held force behind them, his throaty voice full of intent.

Ira unbuttoned the top of her coat and opened the collar to reveal the rest of her face, soft red lips now frowned at her spotter's words. What Osh said was true, today was the day that she was to be given her digger's license, making her a full fledged digger on Kattelox, and signifying her skill. Without a license Ira had been confined to only the smallest ruins on the island. Normally the Cardon Forest sub-gate wouldn't have even opened without the proper license, but Ira had managed "borrow" a temporary pass from a construction worker who had left it on the roof of a building of all places. Thinking back on it now it really was poor judgment on her part, but she was so excited to be getting her digger's license that the thought of exploring a major ruin had overwhelmed her. The problem was that she was thinking about this in retrospect, she had let her emotions get the better of her and in the process had alienated her spotter and friend. Even more than that though, this mistake made it all the more visible to her just how far away she was from reaching "him". Ira was snapped back to reality when she felt Osh's hand on her shoulder, his strong hand brought with it a monumental comfort.

"Ira look, I know how excited you are about today, but if the mayor had found out about this instead of me…" Osh's voice trailed off.

"I know Osh, it's just that it's been such a long time coming…I've waited three years for this license, and now it's finally the day at hand. I don't know, I guess I just let it take hold of me." Ira knew what Osh trying to say and decided to respond to the words he hadn't said yet.

Ira slumped her shoulders and sighed, exhausted from both her adventure in the ruins, and now her confrontation with Osh, she was done in. She stretched her sore arms out to her sides and then up in the air, trying uselessly it seemed to ease the pain in her left shoulder from when she fell in the ruins. While stretching she noticed Osh gazing at her, she threw him a sarcastic look and he averted his eyes while blushing. Ira knew of Osh's feelings for her, but she wasn't sure how she felt about them just yet, most of the time she just played it off as a joke which seemed to have worked thus far. Ira let her arms drop back to her sides and started walking to the spotter van. The ancient vehicle had at one point belonged to the junk shop lady and her husband, but had been used after that by "him", which was the primary reason she had chosen it for her support vehicle. The yellow and red van was filled with all types of equipment necessary for Ira's exploration of the ruins, with it Osh could get readouts of the often maze like ruins and any enemies inside. It was also filled with various odds and ends, some of which actually helped Ira and Osh, others were more sentimental in nature. Now at the back door of the van she noticed Osh hadn't moved from his spot behind her, she turned to look at him but most of his face was hidden either by his angle or his hair, but it seemed like he was in deep thought.

"You coming Osh?" She called back at him.

"Um…yeah, I mean…I mean yeah I'm coming." He responded shakily.

Osh made his was back to the van, still staring somewhat blankly into the distance as he did so. He opened the driver side door and got inside without a word, started the van and waited for Ira to enter. The drive back to uptown was a silent one, several times Ira tried to jibe Osh into saying something, but she was met with minimal response each time, whatever was eating Osh must have been important. Ira stared at him from the back trying to gauge the situation, she looked into the rearview mirror to see Osh's sullen face as he focused on the drive. Ira wasn't sure what was up with him, but perhaps the events earlier had been more taxing on him then she had thought.

"_Maybe I'll buy him that new video game he wanted with the zenny I made in the ruins today, that usually cheers him up." _As Ira thought this, her right hand began to burn in pain.

"Ah!" Ira cried out in pain as a sharp burning sensation shot through her right arm.

The van stopped suddenly and Osh turned to face Ira, his expression again one of concern.

"What's the matter Ira?! What's wrong?" Osh's voice was stressed as he looked Ira over searching for the cause of pain.

"My arm, it's my arm…It burns." Ira had to focus away from the pain in her arm just to get the words out.

Despite the intense pain it cause, Ira managed to press the release button on her machine gun arm causing the casing locks to open and the whole thing to fall to the ground. Then she used her now free left hand to unbuckle the shoulder strap of her leather bindings on her right arm, and slowly removed the shield glove she was wearing. Underneath several distinct burn lines now tattooed her right arm, they were a perfect match for the ornate machine lines on her shield glove. Ira could barely move her right arm it hurt so much, in the front of the van Osh was frantically searching the med kit in the passenger side seat. After a moment he made his way to the back with some gauze and bottle of cooling suave liquid. He quickly dowsed the gauze with liquid and started carefully wrapping Ira's arm. Although Osh was obviously trying to be as careful as possible, Ira yelped the occasional "Ow!" or "Ah!" in response, and every time she did so Osh cringed and apologized. After a few minutes Ira's right arm was bandaged like a mummy's but the cooling suave liquid was doing it's job, the pain in Ira's arm was numbed by the liquid and allowed her to move her arm again.

"What happened?" Osh's tone was soft as he looked over Ira's arm, making sure he didn't miss any spots when he was bandaging her.

"I'm not sure exactly, but I think the shield glove overheated." Although the pain was gone, Ira had yet to regain the normally cheerful ring to her voice.

"Wait, you mean you used the shield glove when you were in the ruins?!" Sounding alarmed Osh grabbed the shield glove and began looking it over.

"Well yeah, I had to, it was either that or I was burnt to a crisp." Saying this, Ira suddenly felt a wave of irony hit her.

"Ira you know that the shield glove is still in its development stage. I had to hodgepodge the thing together from broken reaverbot parts, who knows how stable it is yet?" Osh lectured.

Still looking over the shield glove, Osh held it in his hands, turning it in various directions against the light, trying to discover the problem. Suddenly he dropped it to ground and let out a yell as he flexed his fingers in front of him.

"Damnit!!" Osh yelled.

Ira watched as Osh blew on his fingers trying to cool them down, it was almost funny, but now certainly wasn't the time for jokes.

"Are you all right?" She asked with genuine concern.

"Yeah damnit I'm fine, my fingers just hurt a bit." Still angry, Osh kicked the shied glove across the van while cursing at it.

"Are you okay to drive with you're fingers like that?" As Ira said this she looked at Osh's fingers which were read on the tips now.

"I'm fine, they'll cool down in a minute and I'll get you to the hospital to get treated." Shaking his hands side to side Osh looked over at Ira after saying this.

Ira's expression had completely changed to one of dread, her face went white and she was quiet for a moment, but then simply stated…

"No hospitals." Her words were barely audible as she slowly rubbed her arm.

"Ira I have to get you treated, I can't be sure how bad the burns are." A hint of sorrow moved though Osh's words to Ira.

"No hospitals Osh, you know I don't do hospitals, I spent most of my life in a hospital because of my leg, and I don't intend to go back!" Full of force, Ira meant what she said, and had no intention of backing down.

Osh stood silently for a moment, lost in thought, but Ira knew she had won the argument, she'd had it with Osh before on several occasions, and never let up on her stand. After another minute or so Osh started walking back to the drivers seat, he didn't say anything, he never did after their arguments about the subject at hand, he started the ignition and began driving again…

A few hours later Ira was just getting out of the shower at her home in uptown, she grabbed a towel from the rack and dried herself off. The soot on her face was now gone, and she had to remove her bandages revealing her burn scars, luckily they were thin and less defined now. Standing at the mirror she recounted the silent drive home with Osh as she brushed her hair. The whole drive Osh hadn't said anything, he just drove her home and then sped off. Ira had never seen Osh so distant from her, it left a pit in her chest just thinking about it. Ira finished brushing her hair and grabbed her toothbrush from the medicine cabinet, she spread on the minty green toothpaste and started brushing. She looked at herself in the mirror and was forced to look away, what had happened with Osh today was her fault, and a video game wouldn't cut it as an apology anymore. She wasn't even sure what to do next about Osh, he was supposed to meet her for when the mayor presented her with her diggers license, but she wasn't so sure he'd show now. The minty cleaning power of the toothpaste had run it's course, Ira spit into the sink and then gargled some mouthwash.

She put the towel back on the rack and made her way to her bedroom, she lived alone so modesty wasn't an issue as she walked to her closet undressed. Staring into her modest closet she grabbed her favorite black short sleeve shirt, the one she had gotten at a concert not long ago, on the front was the abbreviation of her favorite band, Ten Inch Screws. She slid on a pair of form fitting denim blue jeans over her unmentionables and then grabbed her heavy diggers coat to wear over her shirt. After that she sat at her bed and re-bandaged her right arm, most of the pain was gone by now, but it was still sore. Ira found a pair of socks under her bed that seemed pretty clean and put them on, then she walked over to the front door to find her spring boots. Right at the door where she had left them, Ira unclasped the boots at the sides and put them on over her jeans and socks, when they felt just right she re-clasped them and started making her way outside. She was just about to step out the door when a chill ran down her spine; she raced back inside to her room to find "it". There on her nightstand was a small wooden box, Ira opened it slowly and smiled when she looked inside. There in the box was her lucky green headband, she'd worn it everyday since "he" came to visit her in the hospital for the first time, she never left home without it. With all that had happened today she almost forgot it, but not today, if there was ever a day when she needed it, it was today. Ira adjusted the lime green headband on the top of her head and again walked out the door. Despite all that had happened thus far today, she smiled widely again for the first time since being in the ruins, she couldn't help it, because after all…

"_Today I become a Digger!!" _


	2. Chapter 2

Searching for a Hero

**Searching for a Hero**

**(Chapter 2)**

Ira now stood in front of the City Hall building of Kattelox Island. The large white structure was the centerpiece of the gate district, which also included the police station and bank. Looking at it now Ira was reminded of the news footage from when "he" had defended the pristine building from the pirates. It was the first time Ira had seen "him" in action, she was watching from the hospital during the broadcast despite the nurse's objections. Ira was suddenly overcome by emotion as she thought back on the event. She was only thirteen at the time but the image was still crystal clear in her mind, even then she felt a warmth inside her chest watching him battle for the safety of the island. Standing at the door with her hand to her chest for so long must have caught someone's attention because she was suddenly pulled back from her memories by the sound of someone behind her.

"Are you all right? Do you need any help?" A calm soft voice came from behind Ira.

Caught off guard by the voice behind her, Ira's face turned bright red with embarrassment as she quickly spun around to see who was behind her. Standing behind her with an impeccable standing posture was one of Kattelox's finest, fully adorned in his dark blue uniform and white helmet, his golden badge reflecting in the sun. Even with his helmet covering most of his eyes, his concern was easily conveyed by the expression on the lower half of his face. He stepped closer with his arms outreached as if to catch her in case she fell. To make matters worse a small crowd was starting to gather around Ira and the police officer. Ira's face was so red that she was sure she would start crying tears of blood any moment. All around her she could hear whispers in the crowd, people quietly asking, "what's going on" or "what's the matter". If she didn't die of embarrassment right there Ira would make sure to smack herself for letting this happen. It took all of her self-control not to run back home and lock the door; instead she closed her eyes tightly and smiled.

"Heh, um…yes officer, I'm fine…thank you for asking…I uh, think I'll go inside now…" This sad excuse of a response was all she could manage in her current state.

Ira turned around slowly and opened the heavy double doors to the City Hall building and walked casually in. Once inside she turned to the crowd, her eyes still closed and smiling wide, she waved back at them then quickly pushed the doors shut. For a moment Ira just stood there, leaning her weight against the handles of the doors, her whole body shaking with embarrassment. Again she was blind-sided by reality from behind, as a soft feminine voice called out to her.

"Um…can I help you?" The voice belonged to a pretty young woman behind the large wooden front counter of the building.

Already shaken from the events outside, Ira wasn't prepared to interact with people just yet, and she wasn't sure she ever would be again for that matter. Ira regained her posture and again closed her eyes and smiled widely, She raised her right arm and pointed up with her index finger signaling for the woman to give Ira one minute. She then walked over to left corner of the room and sat down on the floor facing the wall, there she rocked back and fourth momentarily before jumping back up and walking over to the woman at the counter. Having regained her composure enough to communicate with living people again, Ira leaned on the counter and spoke calmly to the woman.

"Yes, hello, my name is Ira, I believe I have a meeting with the mayor scheduled for eight o'clock…" Ira still had to force her words, but she was bringing herself together slowly.

The pretty young woman looked at Ira wearily, nervously playing with short dark hair as she looked down at the schedule in front of her. After a few seconds she smiled lightly and looked back up at Ira.

"Um, yes, here it is right here, "Ira at eight o'clock." The mayor is expecting you…May I see your citizens ID card please?" Perhaps still in mild shock from Ira's actions earlier, the woman extended her hand slowly towards Ira.

Ira reached into her right coat pocket to reveal her citizens card and handed it to the woman. The woman looked it over then scanned it through a machine to verify Ira's identity. Exhausted beyond any other time she could remember, Ira sighed deeply as the woman at the counter looked over the display in front of her. For the first time Ira began to notice the people in the room staring at her. A dark skinned man with glasses and an ugly tie sat behind the counter opposite of the woman who was helping Ira, and was stared at her with confusion on his face. Another man, this one standing in front of the counter a few feet away from Ira met her with a similar gaze, he shifted his yellow hat around and covered his eyes when he noticed her looking at him. What had already been a taxing day for Ira had turned out to be a disaster, and it was supposed to be one of the most important days of her life. Ira turned her attention back to the woman in front of her; a frustrated look twisted her otherwise attractive features. She was staring intently at the monitor in front of her obviously displeased with what it was showing her. She pulled a pen from the front pocket of her light purple jacket and started tapping the screen; she punched a few keys on the keyboard and then smiled widely.

"Ah yes, everything seems to be in order. I apologize for the wait, the system is new and still has a few bugs." A much happier tone graced her voice as she handed back Ira her ID card.

"That's okay, but I do have a favor to ask…" Ira eyes shifted down to the floor as said this.

"Could you…possibly not tell anyone about my crazy behavior from before?" Ira's eyes swelled as she spoke, she looked up slightly to see the woman's reaction.

"No problem dear, we all have our "moments", and it doesn't help when people start talking about them behind our backs." The woman's view shifted to the two men in the room with her last statement, she stared at them with an intense look in her eyes letting them know she meant business.

"Thank you so much!!" Ira smiled and bowed her head to the woman before making her way up the stairs to the mayor's office.

Ira felt much better about the previous situation as she made her way up the stairs. She got the feeling that the woman at the counter would keep her word about the incident, at that she'd hold the two men to the same standard. The stairs led directly to the mayor's office, and despite the fact that Ira had been here several times before for various issues, she was starting to get nervous. This was what she had worked towards for the last three years; she was finally going to be a real digger, just like "him". Ira knocked gently on the office door twice and was met a second later by the mayor's familiar voice.

"Come on in Ira." The mayor's voice carried through the door with ease as Ira turned the knob.

Ira stepped into the mayor's simple yet somehow stylish office. On the right wall a massive painting of a city hung next to an unusual sculpture in the right hand corner of the room. To the left a set of matching blue couches and a small wooden table made up a sitting area. Next to that was a modest display set up with two large, beautiful stones, one was dark, almost black and the other resembled some sort of crystal. In the center of the room against the back wall, the mayor "Amelia" sat at her huge handcrafted desk. The desk alone gave a feeling of authority to the room, it was constructed from different shades of wood that moved from dark to light as the desk went up, and was stunningly embroidered with an ornate gold pattern on it's edges. Ira was always impressed by the "feel" of the mayor's office, it didn't force it's self you, it simply played to it's strengths. Behind the desk Amelia sat at her faded blue swivel chair, she was going over a large stack of papers in front of her, occasionally stopping to write something down. As Ira made her way to the front of the desk Amelia pulled her attention what she was doing and looked up at Ira, removing her glasses as she did so.

"Hello Ira." Amelia greeted her.

"Hello mayor Amelia." Ira chimed back.

"Come now Ira, how many times have I told you that just plain "Amelia" is fine, there's no need for formalities." A pleasant smile graced Amelia's face when saying this.

"I know, it's just that I'm a little bit nervous about today, it feels almost like a dream…I just don't want to mess anything up." Ira's voice was soft as she admitted her concern about the situation.

As Ira said this Amelia's face shifted from its usually cheerful expression to a much more serious one. She shuffled the papers in front of her neatly and moved them onto the green writing mat on her desk. She looked at Ira and smiled lightly as she stretching out her fingers and then cracked her knuckles. She stood up and walked around the desk on the left side and motioned for Ira to sit with her at the couches. Confused Ira followed Amelia over to the sitting area where she now sat. Ira sat at the couch across from Amelia and watched as the mayor put her glasses in her the font pocket of her white blouse.

"I didn't know you wore glasses?" Ira decided to break the silence with a small observation.

"Hmm? Oh yes, I've only started wearing them recently, they help when I'm reading, but then perhaps my age is showing a bit?" Amelia joked.

Despite the lack of comical force the joke provided, it really was an ironic statement. In actuality Amelia was still quite young for a person of her position, she was in her early thirties at most, and strikingly beautiful. She had luxurious blonde hair that she kept up most of the time except on the few occasions where Ira had watched her reset it. Her face was defined but soft and she had large greyish green eyes that were complimented by her fashionable earrings. Of course it wasn't her hair or face that had most of the men of Kattelox swooning, her figure was generous and curvy, even hidden behind her trademark white coat and skirt. Looking at her now Ira couldn't help but feel a bit inadequate with her own appearance, her years of digging resulted in a ruff outer exterior, and kept her fashion sense in a constant mix between futuristic and tomboy. It wasn't that Ira really wanted the attention so much, but aside from the occasional ongoing stare from Osh, Ira didn't receive much notice, and as she got older it weighed on her mind more.

"_But it doesn't matter, not in the face of what I have to do…" _Ira thought.

Amelia stared at Ira across the table for a moment making her feel a bit uncomfortable. Ira had talked with Amelia on a few occasions before, most often because of Ira's inability to "appreciate" the island's laws about the ruins. In all past occasions Amelia had been brunt and to the point, but now she seemed conflicted and was struggling to find her words.

"Ira I've gotten to know you over the past few years, and I feel as though we've bonded if only to a small extent. Wouldn't you say so?" Amelia asked.

"Well sure, I mean after I finally got out of the hospital I had no place to go, my parents died in the accident that injured my leg, and I didn't have any other relatives, but you set me up with a place to stay. And since then you've helped me out along way when I needed you." Ira replied graciously.

A weak smile graced Amelia's face for a moment as she shifted anxiously in her seat.

"I'm not quite sure how to put this…Ira I think you should reconsider being a digger." Amelia's voice was filled with a soft sorrow that carried on her words.

"Wait…what?" Ira asked confused.

"Ira when you came to me three years ago asking about how to become a digger I told you everything I knew, all my past experiences, my years working with professor Barrel, I even gave you my old copy of the diggers manual. But, I only did so because I believed at the time that you only had a mild case of hero worship and that it would blow over in time." Amelia stood up as she continued to talk.

"But it seems that I was wrong, you pushed yourself non-stop, and with no prior experience and a past injury working against you, you proved yourself to be not only a competent digger, but one of the best on the island, and in only three years time. That's an accomplishment to say the least." Amelia explained.

"So then…what's the problem? Why don't you want me to become a digger?" Ira asked.

"Ira being a digger is difficult lifestyle, and although I have no doubt of your determination, I'm concerned about you, and I'm not the only one. You may not realize it but there are many people on this island that care for you Ira, and I'm sure that just like me there're concerned about you to." Amelia seemed hard pressed for the right words as she said this.

"Listen I'm not some dumb kid who has no idea about what she's getting into. I've read the books, I've talked to the other diggers on the island, I've explored the ruins, I know what I'm getting in to!" Ira voice raised with each word as her frustration took over.

"I'm not sure you do Ira. It's true that you've explored some of the ruins on the island, even some that you weren't supposed to…and I won't say that those experiences don't count for anything, but do you think that the ruins on this island are the worst there are? Every year Ira, dozens of diggers go missing in ruins all over the world, many who have been digging for much longer than you." Now Amelia's voice moved to match Ira's, her usual sultry tone was now elevated with concern.

"I know that Amelia, I've heard the stories and I know the risks involved. It's my choice to risk my life if I so choose, not yours or anyone else's!" Ira yelled at Amelia.

Amelia's back was turned to Ira now; she gazed at the abstract painting that hung over one of the couches before turning around to face Ira again.

"Ira, what happened to your arm?" Amelia asked but her tone suggested she already knew the answer.

Ira had hoped that no one would take any interest in her bandaged arm, after all the other items that made up her current wardrobe were a bit unusual as well. She slowly began rubbing her right arm in response to the question.

"I got hurt earlier, I was testing out one of Osh's new designs and it malfunctioned, that's all. It's not even that bad." Ira lied.

"Ira isn't it true that what you said happened while you were exploring the Cardon Forest sub-gate? Even though you're not yet qualified for entry there?" Amelia's words stabbed at Ira.

"Osh told you!?" Ira yelled out.

"Osh didn't need to tell me anything, I got several reports this morning that you were seen heading towards the Cardon Forest sub-gate. There's nothing else that far out, so I naturally assumed that's where you were heading." Amelia's voice now returned to its natural tone.

"I just wanted to get a peek inside, I didn't even go that far in!" This last statement carried less force then before, and was more of a childish admission of guilt then anything.

"Judging by the bandages on your arm, I'd say you got more then a peek." Again a stabbing blow aimed at Ira.

"My arm is fine! And the injury didn't even happen in the ruins, it happened just like I told you I just…left some stuff out…" Ira's voice trailed off.

"Ira I could suspend your license before even giving it to you based on your actions this morning. Ira I'm begging you, just think it over, maybe wait another year. I know you're eager to get out there, but maybe with a little more time…" Amelia's voice to trailed off.

"So then you won't give me my license?" Ira asked sullenly.

Amelia sighed deeply then walked back over to her desk. She stepped behind it and started looking through one of the drawers for something. After a minute of so she walked back over to Ira who was watching her intently. In her hand she held a small plastic card with a blue capitol "B" on it that read "LICENSE" across it, under that Ira's picture and information was listed. Amelia sat down quietly and handed it to Ira.

"So wait…your giving me the license anyway?! Even after what happened this morning?!" Ira voice reflected her shock.

"Ira what you hold in your hand is your very own updated class B diggers guild license. I pulled some strings with the guild master and had you approved not only for Kattelox, but also for any guild registered ruins so that you won't have to take a formal test before exploring any ruins off the island." Amelia's voice was quiet but she smiled as she talked.

"But I thought…" Ira's amazement cut short her words.

"Ira I thought long and hard about this decision, and to be honest, when I learned about your little unauthorized expedition this morning, I very seriously considered holding your license but…" Amelia stopped for a moment to think.

"But what?" Ira asked eagerly.

Amelia looked into Ira's eyes from across the table, in them Ira could see tears beginning to well up. Amelia wiped her eyes with her sleeve and smiled at Ira, then leaned forward and held Ira's hands in hers.

"But if I did that I wouldn't be doing you any good. If I had held your license from you because of what happened today, I would have been doing so for the wrong reasons, not because you broke into the ruins, but solely out of my concern for you. And although that option was appealing, it wouldn't have been fair to you." Amelia paused for second to clear her eyes again.

"Ira I wasn't lying when I said that you were one of the best diggers on the island, you've put more work into these last three years then many diggers put into there're entire careers. So even though I'm scared of what might happen to you if you go off on your own, you've easily proven yourself to be competent digger, and you deserve you're shot. I just thought that maybe if I talked to you about my concerns you would reconsider, but in truth I knew from the moment you stepped in my office that you wouldn't." Amelia's voice faltered some as she explained her reasoning to Ira, she was now trying desperately to hold back her tears.

Amelia stood up and breathed in deeply and then released it back out as she forced herself to regain her composure. She extended he her hand to Ira to help stand back up. Ira's face was a portrait of astonishment as she grabbed Amelia's hand and got to her feet. Her mind raced to find other happy moments to compare this one to, and the only memory that surpassed the happiness she was feeling now was getting to meet "him" three years earlier, nothing else came close. Ira's hands were shaking as she held the license in them, completely overwhelmed the same thought ran though her head over and over again…

"_Is this really happening!!" _Ira's mind screamed.

"Ira, as mayor of Kattelox Island, and with the permission of the diggers guild, here by award you a class B diggers license, with all rights and privileges bestowed, congratulations Ira." Amelia smiled with pride as she awarded Ira her license.

Ira said nothing for a moment and stood perfectly still as her gaze was focused on the license in her hand. She looked up at Amelia but still said nothing, then returned her attention to the license, then back at Amelia, then back at the license again. Stunned with awe she finally focused back on Amelia.

"Aren't you going to say anything?" Amelia asked.

"………YES!! YES YES YES!!" Ira shouted hysterically as she raised the license above her head in victory.

"Thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you." Ira repeated over and over again as she hugged Amelia tightly.

"Ha ha ha, well you deserve it Ira, plus I knew even if I didn't give it to you that you'd find some way around it." Amelia joked as Ira squeezed her.

Ira let go of Amelia and hopped up and down with excitement, she was sure that the people on the first floor were probably very confused but she care right now.

"So this is really it right? This isn't some sort of joke or a dream is it?" Ira asked spastically.

"Heh heh, no Ira, this is the real thing, I promise you." All of the apprehension had left Amelia's voice now, and was replaced with soft happiness.

"So what are you going to do now with you're license?" Amelia asked Ira.

Ira stopped hopping and thought for a second, suddenly her face lit up when she realized what she was going to do next.

"I've got to go show Osh, he'll do a back flip when finds out." Ira had just remembered that Osh was supposed to be there with her, but he probably got caught up in something.

"After that I have to get ready to set off I guess." This realization came with less enthusiasm then the first.

"That's right, you told me the last time we talked that you planned to head out to another island when you finally got you're license. You're going to look for "him" isn't that right." A soft sadness followed Amelia's words.

"That's right, and I won't stop until I find him!" Ira declared strongly.

"So then I guess this is goodbye for a while, at least until you find "him" right?" Amelia asked.

Ira nodded her head confidently but inside she was beginning to feel the weight of her own words. She was going to set off on her mission to find the legendary blue digger, it was so long coming that now faced with the actuality of it, she found herself longing inside. Ira and Amelia exchanged farewells with a few tears between the both of them, not one for long good-byes though Ira cut her farewell short and instead just hugged Amelia again before setting off. Just as she was about to head out the door Amelia chimed behind her.

"I wish you the best of luck Ira, and don't be a stranger, always remember there are people here who care for you." Amelia's last words to Ira were full of support and love.

Ira turned around to look at Amelia as she opened the door to the office and simply replied…

"I know, and thanks." And then Ira was gone, closing the door behind her as she went.

Ira raced down the stairs at full speed, she ran out of the City Hall office and outside. With no regard to the stares she was getting from confused onlookers she made her way through town, occasionally dodging traffic along the way, and ignoring the resulting slurs of profanity from the angry drivers. Ira passed through the southern gate into downtown where Osh lived. She made her way frantically to his house but when she got there his mother informed her that Osh was back at Cardon Forest. Ira returned to her quest to find Osh, somewhat confused about what he would be doing at Cardon Forest. Suddenly it hit her_, "Osh must be getting the ship ready!"_ realizing this made her run that much faster. She passed through apple market and said a few more good-byes as she went. In particular she had to stop by the junk shop to thank Victoria the junk shop lady and her husband for all the help they had given her when she first started digging. She stopped inside quickly and thanked the both of them and then wished them well before heading off again. Ira waved at the produce store owner and his wife who was holding their son in her arms, she laughed aloud as the small child waved back at her.

"_Oh! I almost forgot!" _Ira thought as she stopped in her tracks suddenly.

Ira ran back to the junk shop and barreled inside, she handed the temporary sub-gate license she found on the roof to the store owner "Tom".

"Make sure he doesn't loose it again." Ira said as she whisked off again.

Ira hoped the construction worked she had gotten in from wouldn't be mad about it's late return, but really, even though Ira had used it without his permission she had still found it for him in the first place, so hopefully that would even things out. Ira made her way out of the shopping arcade and headed for the back section of Cardon Forest, with any luck Osh would be there waiting. After a few more minutes of running Ira had finally made it to her destination, and sure enough, floating a few feet off the ground was her ship with a later up against it and the spotters van sat next to that. From the small entrance she could hear some mechanical noises followed by the occasional "Damnit!" signaling that Osh was indeed inside. Exhausted from the run Ira stopped for a few minutes to catch her breath, all the while the noise from the inside of the ship masked her arrival from Osh. When she was finally up to it she yelled up to Osh.

"HEY OSH!!" Ira yelled from the ground.

Inside the noise stopped for a moment and Osh stepped out of the cockpit. His face was covered in grease and he was mumbling angrily to himself as he made his way down the later to confront Ira. When he hit the ground he pulled a rag from his back pocket and wiped his face off with it before looking at Ira.

"So, you must have got it then?" Osh asked plainly.

"Yep, I suuuure did!!" Ira pulled out her newly acquired license and displayed it for Osh, and then proceeded to do some sort of odd victory dance.

"I'm really glad for you Ira…" This was said with less enthusiasm then Ira expected causing her to stop her dance short.

"You should be really glad for both of us, this license means that today's the day, we can head out on our adventure!" Ira was trying to get Osh into the right mood, but it didn't seem to be working.

"You mean "your" adventure, I'm not going." Osh bluntly stated.

"What do you mean your not going Osh, you're my spotter, you have to go…This isn't because of this morning is it? I know I was out of line but I…" Ira would have continued but Osh cut her short.

"It's not just that Ira, I mean, yeah, that's part of it, but it's more than that. Ira you and I have worked together for almost a year now, and during that time you've scarred me more times with you're impulsive actions then I care to remember. And if that were the only issue…I'd be okay with it. I can handle you're antics, and I've learned to cope with you're constant joking and jibes but…" Osh trailed off for a moment while he collected his thoughts.

"Ira, I know how capable you are as a digger, I've seen it first hand, so even though I get worried sometimes I always know you'll be fine when you come back up. But for almost a year now I've had to hear constantly about this epic quest you intend to go on, and I was all for it in the beginning, they way you described it made it seem possible. But as time went on and you and I got closer, I started to realize that it wasn't some big adventure you wanted to go on with "me", the whole thing was just for "him", and I know that you won't stop until you find him, but what then? What if you do find him?" Osh asked forcefully.

"What do you mean Osh? I told you from the beginning that was the point of the journey, to find "him". I never led you on Osh, I meant what I said from the first time we talked about it, I'm going to find "him" and when I do I'll show him that I've become a great digger just like I said I would." Ira threw back.

"And where do I stand in that scenario hmm? Where does Osh the loyal spotter of the great digger Ira come into play when you find him? Admit it, I'm nothing more to you then a voice in your COM, and that's what I'll continue to be if I stay with you. I'd be better off working with Jim and Bensley on restoring the Clozer Woods area, at least with them I'm not just an accessory." After his harsh words to Ira Osh started walking away.

Shocked by Osh's reaction, Ira couldn't think of anything to say, she just stared as walked off. She tried desperately to think of something, anything, to say to Osh, but maybe he was right…not about everything, but at least some it. Maybe she had taken him for granted all this time, out of the four spotters (five if you count Victoria and Tom separately) that Ira had over the last three years, Osh had stuck with her the longest. And during that time she knew of his feelings for her but said nothing, maybe she was just letting him on. Ira had to force some semblance of a response, she couldn't let it end like this.

"Osh…I just…" But Ira couldn't finish, she didn't know what to say to him to make him understand that he was wrong.

Osh stopped for a second and without turning to Ira said…

"I fixed up the ship, it was in bad shape but I got it running smooth, I filled it with all of our…your supplies, and the shield glove is inside also, it shouldn't give you anymore problems." Osh waved back without looking and then he was gone.

Ira stood alone next to her salvaged ship, she looked up at it floating in the air. Before the boat manager Wily had found it and pulled it from the water, it had belonged to the air pirates that had assaulted the island three years ago she had heard someone call it a "Dreg". Ira bought it from him cheap and tried to repair it herself but with little success, luckily Osh was a wiz with mechanics and started working on it when they first met. Osh had expanded the inside so that both he and she could fit easily, and Ira had repainted in the whole thing blue in honor of "him". It was one of her favorite things in the entire world, it symbolized her dedication to her cause, and gave form to her accomplishments. Looking at it now though, it just reminded her of her selfishness…Ira was tired of good-byes, she had enough for the day and her entire life. Ira made her way up the later and inside the ship, just like Osh said he had stacked it full of provisions, and there on the seat was her shield glove. Ira climbed back down the later and made her way over to the spotters van, she grabbed a few things from inside including her machine gun arm weapon, along with a few other odds and ends. She locked the doors and was just about to leave when she noticed a picture tapped to the dashboard. It was a picture of her and Osh on a boat together, Osh was drenched with water and Ira was laughing at him from the side. Ira pulled the picture of the dashboard and smiled before heading back to the ship. She started up the engine and lifted off, she decided not to go back home in fear of running into anyone else she might have hurt over the years. She tapped the picture of her and Osh to the control council as she started to cry…

"I'm such and idiot!" And then she sped off.


End file.
